There have been many proposals concerning airbag arrangements to be utilized in motor vehicles, such as automobiles. In particular, it has been proposed to provide an airbag arrangement in the form of an inflatable curtain that, when inflated, is located adjacent a driver or occupant of a vehicle, being positioned between the driver or occupant of the vehicle and an adjacent side door or window opening.
Typically, an inflatable curtain of this type is initially stored within a housing or recess that follows a non-linear path across the top of the doorframe of the motor vehicle. The forward end of the recess or housing may extend down an “A”-Post of the motor vehicle, and the rear end of the recess or housing may extend partly down a “C”-Post or a post located to the rear of the “C”-Post. These opposing ends are centered by a “B”-Post.
When the airbag within the housing or recess is inflated, the airbag forms a curtain extending parallel with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The curtain is substantially vertical and extends from the roof line, above the door or window opening, to a position located at the lower edge of the window opening or substantially in alignment with the center of the chest of the driver or occupant of the vehicle.
Various attempts have been made to develop a side curtain that can be fabricated in such a way that when it is deployed, the lower-most region of the curtain extends fully downwardly. Many side curtain airbags designs include inflatable “A”-Post and “C”-Post portions flanking a mostly non-inflatable “B”-Post portion. When the airbag is deployed, the inflation pressure augments deployment of the “A” and “C”-Post portions (i.e. by projecting the airbag in the downward direction) but not the “B”-Post portion.